Outgoing West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin confirmed on Wednesday that he will not be running for governor of the bright red state.
The media had widely speculated that Manchin was gearing up to throw his hat in the ring at the last minute.
Manchin said he would vote for Steve Williams, who won the uncontested Democratic Primary.
“My support is with Steve Williams,” Manchin told reporters at the opening ceremony for a public outdoor fitness court at the University of Charleston. “He’s been a friend of mine for 40 years, and we’ve worked together. I know how good he is, I know how competent he is, and I know how hard he’ll work. So, I’ve been supporting Steve.”
In the Republican gubernatorial primary, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey defeated former state lawmaker Moore Capito, the son of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, for the nomination.
Manchin said that he did not know how the rumors of a gubernatorial bid began.
“I don’t know how this came about,” Manchin said. “But I appreciate it. It’s humbling, and I’m very proud to have people that think that my public service was truly about public service. That’s all I’m about, and I want my state to succeed.”
“I want to help anybody I can in the position they might be in, whether it’s a governor, or whether it’s a U.S. senator, or congresspeople. I want to be able to help them do the best they can to represent our state,” the moderate politician continued. “My future lies in: How do we bring the country together again? I’ve been in Washington for 14 years and I’ve done everything I possibly can to bring it together and I can see it getting further and further apart.”
Manchin said his party is too focused on hating the other side.
“They’re losing that now because now they think it’s just best to be against, just hate the other side ... Trust me, the Republicans are not your enemy, and the Democrats are not your enemy,” Manchin said. “I’ll tell you where the enemies are — they’re not in this country. We’re here to be together. That’s what I’m going to spend the rest of my life doing.”
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is running for Manchin's current seat with the full endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
